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The Four Vs Pathway
Redbridge article
“Australians want the same things. They want to be able to afford a decent life. They want healthcare and education that works. They want their kids to have a future. They want kindness and fairness. They want to know that their neighbours are OK.
And they want a government that governs: that legislates and regulates in the public interest and stops letting only the powerful dictate terms.
The values of care, compassion, looking after your neighbour, and giving everyone a fair go are not sentimental relics or cliches. Only people who are disconnected from ordinary Australians think they are.”
Alex Fein, Polarisation is a Myth, 21 March 2026, published on the Redbridge Substack – https://redbridgeintel.substack.com
What it means for community organisations
At Northside Community Voices we have commenced our journey down the Four Vs Pathway – Vision > Values > Virtue > Volunteering
Our vision is moving forward from the strictures and conflict of adversarial party politics and compromised allegiances to vested interests and prioritising community interests and values – Doing Democracy Differently
Our values are clearly enunciated.
Embodying civic virtue in a community organisation means operating with a commitment to the common good, prioritizing community flourishing over self-interest, and cultivating active, responsible participation among members. This involves fostering trust, equality, and service within the organisation’s governance, relationships, and day-to-day operations.
Here is how to embody civic virtue in the operation of a community organisation based on best practices and research:
1. Governance and Leadership with Integrity – Prioritize the Common Good: Ensure the organisation’s primary goal is social benefit rather than individual gain or mere institutional survival.
Transparency and Openness: Establish a culture where stakeholders can see and understand how the organisation operates, spends funds, and handles problems.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensure diverse representation in governance bodies to reflect the community, avoiding the segregation of voices.
Ethical Accountability: Model “civic virtue-influence” by allowing members to constructively challenge policies to prevent “groupthink” and combat corruption.
2. Operationalising Core Civic Virtues – Service and Selflessness: Encourage employees and volunteers to go beyond their formal roles, engaging in actions that benefit the wider community.
Cultivate Civility: Foster an environment of mutual respect, tolerance, and dignity, particularly in debates, even when disagreements arise.
Responsible Participation: Encourage members to stay informed about organisational and local community issues, and to participate in non-mandatory meetings that support the organisation’s mission.
Solidarity and Trust: Build deep relationships and trust-based networks that allow the organisation to act as a “public guardian,” holding itself accountable to the public.
3. Fostering Active Citizenship – Create “Formative” Spaces: Design opportunities where members acquire civic skills, knowledge, and virtues by working with others.
Encourage Deliberation: Actively encourage members to share opinions and ideas, facilitating “civic conversation” to reach consensus or manage conflicts.
Empower Beneficiaries: Ensure beneficiaries are not just recipients of services, but actively listened to and involved in shaping the organisation’s activities.
Community-Led Solutions: Move from “providing for” to “working with” the community, co-designing actionable solutions to local problems.
4. Relational and External Engagement – Collaboration Over Competition: Partner with other organisations, even across sectors, to advance the common good rather than competing for resources.
Respectful Dialogue: Engage in public discourse with an approach that respects the dignity of others, acknowledging the legitimacy of diverse perspectives.
Zero Tolerance for Abuse: Maintain a “safe space” by taking a clear stand against intimidation, bullying, discrimination, or abuse of power.
By embedding these principles, community organisations can function as “schools of democracy,” reinforcing social cohesion and public trust.
We have found the best means we have of gathering support for Doing Democracy Differently is encouraging people through volunteering. Volunteers experience ‘finding their tribe’ when they put on the t-shirts and engage with the public on our shared determination to make politics work better for everyone in our community.